WORKERS in the north west worry most about being made redundant than those in any other UK region, a survey has found.

Almost 70 per cent have been victims or know someone who has. A third of people over 40 have been made redundant at least twice, while it has happened three or more times to 10 per cent of those quizzed.

And while 37 per cent would find it hard to break the news to their families, most feel redundancy no longer carries the stigma it once did.

Younger employees see it as a chance to make a fresh start while older ones look upon it as a chance for early retirement. More than 1,000 people were quizzed in Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and London during February for the career management consultancy Penna Sanders and Sidney.

Its report, called Redefining Redundancy, looks at attitudes towards and experience of redundancy and its effect on people.

The report states: "The survey reveals how much redundancy has become a common factor of modern life. The impact remains as hard as ever - the initial news is hard to take - but we recover more quickly than we did.

"There is certainly very little evidence of the shame and sense of failure that once accompanied redundancy. The view is that it can happen to anyone, in any field, regardless of their ability and contribution to an organisation, for reasons quite outside their control."

Researchers found only 21.5 per cent of people in the north west never worry about losing their jobs, the lowest proportion in the country. Workers in the public sector feel more secure than their counterparts in private firms.

Employers wielding the axe in the region are less likely than those elsewhere to provide their staff with counselling or help with finding another job.

More than 1,000 redundancy victims a year are seen by Penna Sanders and Sidney staff at its office in Whitworth Street, Manchester.

Office manager Richard Mullock said: "It is now accepted that redundancy affects everyone and is not performance related."